Corrosion properties of plasma nitrided AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel in 3.5% NaCl and 1% HCl aqueous solutions

Samples of an AISI 410 martensitic stainless steel were plasma nitrided at a temperature of 420 °C, 460 °C or 500 °C for 20 h. The composition, microstructure and hardness of the nitrided samples were characterised using a variety of analytical techniques. In particular, the corrosion properties of the untreated and plasma nitrided samples were evaluated using anodic polarisation tests in 3.5% NaCl solution and immersion tests in 1% HCl acidic water solution. The results showed that plasma nitriding produced a relatively thick nitrided case consisting of a compound layer and a nitrogen diffusion layer on the 410 stainless steel surface. Plasma nitriding not only increased the surface hardness but also improved the corrosion resistance of the martensitic stainless steel. In the immersion test, nitrided samples showed lower weight loss and lower corrosion rate than untreated one. In the electrochemical corrosion tests, the nitrided samples showed higher corrosion potentials, higher pitting potentials and greatly reduced current densities. The improved corrosion resistance was believed to be related to the iron nitride compound layer formed on the martensitic stainless steel surface during plasma nitriding, which protected the underlying metal from corrosive attack under the testing conditions.